At the same time.
Sun City.
Sun City No.1 High School, second floor of the gym.
Fang Yuan felt her entire body itch, and she squirmed uncomfortably.
The young girls who were admiring their boss as she trained suddenly cried out in shock.
“Sis Yuanyuan, you’re bleeding all over!”
“There’s so much blood on your face!”
“On your clothes, too!”
“Soob, what’s the matter with you, Sis Yuanyuan?”
“...”
In their fluster and panic, the girls tried to rush forward and check on her. The moment they approached, however, Fang Yuan instinctively shoved one away, and the girl closest to her was sent flying several meters away.
Fang Yuan was stunned. ‘I didn’t even use any force, but she went flying so far. Is this what Old Bro meant by faking a crash?’
She did not have the time to inquire more about it, though. Once she saw that the friend she had pushed away was fine, she heard everyone’s screams, and so Fang Yuan instinctively touched her face. When she stretched out her hand to look at it, she saw that it was covered with tainted blood.
Fang Yuan had been training for a year, after all, so she had experienced things like something like this before. It was not her first time expelling tainted blood, either.
However, it was her first time bleeding all across her face!
The next second, Fang Yuan seemed to remember something, and she could feel the tingling inside her body as well.
“Am I... honing my bones?”
After all, she had a martial artist for an older brother. Although Fang Ping did not come home often, he still reminded her of the things she needed to know when it came to cultivation.
Fang Yuan had repeatedly heard Fang Ping mention how it was like when aspiring martial artists honed their bones for the first time, too.
“I’ve undergone my first bone-honing!”
Fang Yuan was about to cry tears of joy!
Her old big brother was almost about to destroy her self-confidence. She still remembered how Fang Ping had taught her how to practice her stance in June 2008.
Back then, Fang Ping had not even become a martial artist yet.
Now, however, Fang Ping was already in Rank-4, but she had not even achieved her first bone-honing. As a result, she had been really down in the dumps lately, such that she could barely even be bothered to count her money.
Lo and behold, she had only been casually cultivating the basics today, but it somehow started her on her bone-honing!
“Sis Yuanyuan!”
“Are you alright, president?”
“...”
The girls were a little scared when they saw Fang Yuan smiling eerily with her face covered in blood. The timidest of them was ready to turn tail and run.
Did the president lose herself in her cultivation?
They remembered seeing this on TV. Those who lost themselves would kill anyone they saw.
“I’m fine!”
Fang Yuan was visibly overjoyed as she continued to feel the tingling in her body from the bone-honing. It felt so incredible!
“Xiaoling, Yu, I made a breakthrough!”
Fang Yuan was all smiles, ignoring the other girls’ occasional odd looks at her face as she said with a grin, “I’m going to be a martial artist soon. No, actually, I can become a martial artist right now if I want to!”
Fang Yuan was in a really good mood now. An aspiring martial artist who had achieved their first bone-honing could choose already to break through.
Of course, she did not forget what her brother told her. She had to aim for twice- or even thrice-honing.
Nevertheless, that did not matter anymore!
Sun City No.1 High School’s top student for the Gaokao this year only had a Vitality of 135cal. Fang Yuan and the others saw that on the school’s enormous Gaokao billboard on the first day of school.
On the other hand, Fang Yuan was already at 150cal in her first year of high school.
“I’m a genius! I’m just too young for now.”
All of a sudden, Fang Yuan was not dejected anymore. Yes, Fang Ping improved quickly, but that was because he had entered a martial arts university. Once Fang Yuan joined one, she might improve by five or six ranks a year. That way, she would be even better than Fang Ping.
“That’s right, I have to tell Fang Ping the good news!”
Fang Yuan could not even be bothered to wipe the blood off her face. As she picked up her phone, she yelled to the others, “Oh yeah, the club must continue to recruit... recruit... two thousand members!”
Fang Yuan did the quick math. Fang Ping said he had seven thousand members at MCMAU now, so she could not fall behind.
As soon as she said that, a stunned Xiaoling woke up and said hurriedly, “Almost all the female students in Sun City have joined us...”
“Then let’s start a branch in the villages!”
No sooner had Fang Yuan said that when she suddenly gave an awkward laugh. “Never mind We gotta keep a low profile, yep. Can’t recruit anymore.”
If she recruited anymore, Old Bro would flip if he found out.
...
Villa No. 8.
Fang Ping was still thinking of the Mentality Detector when his phone rang.
He saw that it was Fang Yuan’s number, and as soon as he picked up, he heard Fang Yuan’s voice, sounding as happy as though she had become a Grandmaster.
“Fang Ping, I honed my bones for the first time!
“Fang Ping, I did it even earlier than you did. Aren’t I great?
“Hahaha, I finished my bone-honing...”
Fang Ping massaged his ear and said wistfully, “You’re finished.”
“Huh?”
“You’re still so short now. I forgot to tell you that once you hone your bones, you won’t grow any taller. That’s how tall you’ll be for the rest of your life.”
Fang Ping chuckled as he said, “But that’s a good thing. If you stay this tall for the rest of your life without changing even a little, you’ll stay cute forever.
“If you continue growing, you’ll grow up wrong.
“This is pretty good. I like it!”
“...”
There was a deathly silence on the other end.
“I... won’t grow anymore?”
Fang Yuan murmured. She involuntarily mimed how tall she was right now and abruptly began to scream.
“I really won’t grow anymore?
“Fang Ping, I hate you!
“Soooob... I’m gonna tell Mom and Dad... You bullied me...”
Fang Yuan was going mad in her anger, howling and wailing at the phone.
Everyone else in the villa looked at Fang Ping.
“That punk... I can’t believe he did that to his own younger sister. The girls he beat up should be glad that he didn’t kill them outright.”
Liang Huabao could not help a sigh. That was his own younger sister there, yet he managed to bully her over the phone until she broke down.
The girls outside had only earned themselves a beating at his hands. How could that compare?
Chen Yunxi had a peculiar look on her face too. Was it true that the girls Fang Ping had not beaten to death should be thankful?
Even Lu Fengrou was rather speechless. When she saw that Fang Ping was still teasing his sister, she barked, “Alright, what on earth are you doing? Be serious!”
Fang Ping looked a little embarrassed and he chuckled awkwardly before saying into the phone, “I was just joking! As if you’d actually stop growing. I’m just pulling your leg. Are you really crying?”
“Fang Ping, you’re too much!”
Fang Yuan continued to sob, but she did not believe Fang Ping anymore. She was in shambles as she said, “I know, I’m sure I can’t grow any taller anymore. You’re always telling me not to grow up, so you must have kept it from me on purpose. I saw that Ling Yiyi from CCMAU you fought last time. She must have honed her bones really early, that’s why she stopped growing.
“She’s short and her chest is small too. I don’t wanna be like that!
“Fang Png, you bullied me! You liar...”
Fang Ping was utterly at a loss for words now. He was stuck in a web of his own doing, so all he could do was cough and say, “Ling Yiyi is an exception, not everyone is like that. I’m sure you can grow. I mean, some of my female classmates are thick and swole, with udders like cows...”
Just then, Chen Yunxi, Zhao Xuemei, and Liu Mengyao looked down before exchanging a glance.
For a second there, all of them unanimously decided not to say anything.
He was not... referring to them, was he?
Liang Fenghua and the others were at their limits now. Fang Ping could sort of say things like that now, but if he was outside when he said that, would he not end up single forever?
It took quite some time before Fang Ping finally managed to calm Fang Yuan down.
After he hung up and saw that everyone was looking at him, he laughed drily and said, “It’s nothing, nothing. In fact, it’s good news! My little sister achieved her first bone-honing. As I thought, she’s a genius just like me. Sigh, it all comes down to genetics...”
Lu Fengrou rolled her eyes at him. That guy was ridiculous. This was a good thing, but he nearly scared his younger sister to death. What kind of an older brother was he?
“How old is your younger sister?”
“Fifteen.”
Fang Ping did look quite proud when he said that. Although Round Face was not as good as he had been, the fact that she could complete her first bone-honing at fifteen meant that she was decently talented. She might even finish her twice-honing by sixteen.
If she became a martial artist by seventeen and had her Gaokao by eighteen, she might be a Rank-1 or even a Peak Rank-1 martial artist by the time she entered university.
In that case, she seemed pretty talented, after all!
Hmm, it seemed his earlier judgment may have underestimated Fang Yuan.
Lu Fengrou nodded slightly when she heard that. “That’s decent. Still, she shouldn’t become a martial artist too soon. Your earlier statement was not wrong, actually. If she breaks through too soon, before her bones are fully developed, it will indeed cause her bones to stay as they are.
“Girls have it slightly better because they’ll have developed fully in another year or two.
“Wu Kuishan is so short precisely because he became a martial artist before he developed properly.”
Fang Ping and the others all laughed awkwardly. ‘That’s a Rank-8 golden body powerhouse,’ they thought, ‘so could you stop making fun of him? If we get too used to it and end up saying something like that to Wu Kuishan’s face, we’ll be mauled to death.’
On the other hand... It was true that Wu Kuishan was not that tall. All martial artists had plenty of Vitality, and even though people from the north and the south had differing heights, most southern martial artists were at least above 175cm. Wu Kuishan was... not even that tall, right?
Lu Fengrou moved the topic away from Wu Kuishan, though, continuing down that line of thought to say, “Over the past few years, everyone’s Vitality has been increasing at a faster rate, and people everywhere are growing stronger physically. That’s both a good and a bad thing.”
Everyone felt silent. It was a good thing that everyone was growing stronger.
However, they were growing stronger because there were more Catacomb passageways now, and the passageways emitted more energy particles. That was the main reason everyone was becoming stronger.
It was a good thing that the new generation was getting stronger, but they were just worried that the young ones would not have enough time to grow.
“Forget it. We’re not the ones to be worrying about this.”
Lu Fengrou shook her head. If you were not a Grandmaster, there would be no point worrying about all this.
“Fang Ping, your main target now isn’t to increase your cultivation level. Instead, you should reinforce your absorption.
“You don’t have to rush your heart-honing either. Take some time to rest before you start.
“Your Flight Step is coming along nicely, but you should still pick up some high-ranked combat techniques. For now, cultivating combat techniques should be your main focus.”
Fang Ping nodded.
Lu Fengrou addressed the others as well. For Zhao Xuemei and Chen Yunxi, their aim was to reach Upper-stage Rank-3. Combat techniques came second to that.
For Liu Mengyao and Liang Huabao, both their combat techniques and cultivation were equally important.
Liang Fenghua was Rank-4 now, so his main target was to construct the Celestial Bridge too.
Finally, Lu Fengrou looked at Ye Qing and paused before saying, “Ye Qing, you’re a Peak Rank-3 martial artist now too. Do you want to try the invincible route?”
Ye Qing was silent for a moment before he said, “Teacher, I don’t think I’m confident enough...”
However, Fang Ping said with a laugh, “It’s actually really easy, Senior Ye. All the martial artists out there are bluffing. After all, I could take five of them on my own... I’d recommend you give it a try. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Ye Qing’s expression turned dark. ‘What do you take me for, a three-year-old?’
On the other hand, Lu Fengrou did not try to force him. She smiled and said, “It’s up to you. Whether you try it or not, you should train for a while longer at Peak Rank-3. I don’t need you to build a ton of Celestial Bridges as soon as you reach Rank-4, but I think two or three would be doable.”
Ye Qing was actually quite strong. Even his Mentality was not really that weak.
He was only Rank-3, but his Mentality was already at 350Hz. When he broke through to Rank-4, that figure might even reach 400Hz.
In fact, Ye Qing was much stronger than most martial artists.
After Lu Fengrou addressed the students’ queries about their studies, she let the rest of them leave until only Fang Ping was left.
...
Lu Fengrou paused for a moment before she said, “If you have the time, try making a trip to the second floor of the Combat Technique Library.”
Fang Ping instantly realized something, and he said with a hoarse laugh, “Are you sure, Teacher? The three Grandmasters will kill me...”
Lu Fengrou gave him a glance and paused before saying, “Forget it then. I can find it even without a map.”
Fang Ping immediately added, “Why are you in such a rush? Even if you can’t go to an energy mine, I think you can break through and become a Grandmaster very soon now...”
Lu Fengrou waved him off without a word, gesturing for him to leave.
If she tried to forcefully merge her essence, spirit, and soul, it may not go well. That also meant that after she manifested her essence, spirit, and soul, she might not be able to become a high-ranked martial artist.
Of course, that was all only conjecture for now.
She just had to wait and see!
...
After Fang Ping left Lu Fengrou’s place, he spent the next few days training his combat techniques while attending the school’s language classes.
MCMAU did not have any experts in that field. All the linguists were from the Education Ministry.
Humans had been fighting the Catacombs for many years now, but the two sides never tried to communicate with each other.
Even if they took some Catacombs humans prisoner, those captives would not say anything. If they forcefully tried to hypnotize or intimidate them with Mentality, the powerhouses from the Catacombs would shut down their brains completely.
Nevertheless, after so many years of fighting each other, there had to be some improvement.
In class.
The old white-haired expert explained the line to everyone present, one word at a time.
There were not only students in this class, either. Quite a few mentors were present as well.
That included Big Lion!
Fang Ping sat right next to Big Lion, and when he watched Big Lion seriously taking notes and even occasionally looking troubled, it tickled him silly inside.
While the old expert was taking a tea break, Fang Ping whispered, “Instructor Tang, sometimes you don’t have to force yourself to learn the things you don’t like. You just have to kill them if you see them, so I don’t think you really have to force yourself to remember all this...”
Tang Feng’s expression was as black as coal, and Fang Ping continued with a laugh, “Or perhaps you should hurry up and become a Grandmaster. Grandmasters have really powerful Mentality, so you’d be able to remember anything as soon as you hear it once.
“I may not be a Grandmaster, but... Sir, I more or less learn something after I hear it once too.
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, I can teach you.”
“Fang Ping!”
Tang Feng’s expression was dark as he said threateningly, “Do you know the consequences of challenging a Peak Rank-6 martial artist?”
Fang Ping sounded hurt. “What are you saying, sir? Why would I challenge you? Am I that sort of guy to you? It just seems like you’re struggling with your studies, so I felt bad for you. That’s why I’m willing to spend my free time teaching you...”
“Cut the nonsense!”
Tang Feng glared at him and thought for a moment before saying, “When does that Rank-1 martial arts competition of yours start?”
“Soon. Next month is a no-go, but I’ll definitely have it in November.”
“Register Tang Wen for it.”
Fang Ping laughed. “Tang Wen’s only Upper-stage Rank-1...”
“She’ll be Peak Rank-1 soon.”
With that, Tang Feng continued, “Arrange more missions for Tang Wen. She doesn’t have to go for the championship, but there are plenty of missions that involve raiding cult martial artists nowadays, so arrange a few more of those for her.”
Fang Ping raised a brow. Was Big Lion trying to trip up his daughter?
“Maybe later, Instructor Tang. It feels like being your daughter is quite tiring.”
Tang Feng harrumphed softly and gave Fang Ping a glance. This punk was getting quite cocky now.
After that, he ignored Fang Ping. The old expert was done with his break, so Tang Feng continued to listen to the class with all his attention.
Fang Ping did not say anything else either. He still had to pay attention in class and pick up some of the Catacomb language. At least that way, he would not walk right into a trap.
For instance, he knew what to say next time he wanted to taunt a martial artist from the Catacombs.
“Yanioxi...” Fang Ping said with an accent, but he did not dare to taunt Big Lion, so he gave Zhao Lei next to him a wink instead.
Zhao Lei did not look at him either. ‘You can taunt me all you like, but it doesn’t matter how you taunt me as long as I ignore you.
‘Once I get strong enough, I’ll beat you up without you having to say a word!’
“Sigh, I’m itching for a fight.”
Fang Ping sighed. Back then, Zhao Lei was like a porcupine. Fang Ping did not even really need to taunt him too much; a few well-timed words, and the two of them would have a date at the training room.
Now that was a fun fight!
Right now, however, Fang Ping had improved too quickly, so Zhao Lei did not take his bait anymore.
“I’ll just get a little better, then I can get Qin Fengqing to scratch this itch,” Fang Ping muttered. That guy was always looking for a beating, too. Apparently, he was scouring for sponsors recently, and it attracted Fang Ping a ton of trouble.
What a moron!
Fang Ping sighed about him inwardly, but no, that guy probably meant to do it.
After all, Qin Fengqing began every encounter with, “I came here on the orders of the Martial Arts Society’s president, Fang Ping...”
Tang Feng was causing his daughter trouble while Qin Fengqing was causing Fang Ping trouble. On the other hand, Fang Ping was doing no such thing, so he was starting to think that there were bad trends going around MCMAU. What was with all of these stupid habits?